MOSCOW Metro reports that construction work on the $US 6.79bn Big Circle Line (BCL) is scheduled for completion this year, with commissioning of the remaining section between Nagatinsky Zaton and Klenovy expected take place early in 2023.
Following the opening of the 21km Mnyovniki - Kakhovskaya section with 10 stations on December 7 2021, the BCL currently serves 22 stations used by over 500,000 passengers a day, according to deputy mayor of Moscow, Mr Maksim Liksutov.
Opening of the Nagatinsky Zaton - Klenovy section will take the total number of stations on the completed BCL to 31, which are expected to be used by 1 million passengers a day according to Moscow Metro forecasts.
The full launch of the BCL is expected to provide simpler journeys for 3.3 million inhabitants of Mocow in 34 of the city’s districts.
At 70km the BCL will be three and a half times longer than Moscow’s circular Line 5 and a quarter longer than Line 10 in Beijing, making it “the global leader in term of length,” according to Moscow Metro.
It is also the largest single infrastructure project undertaken by the city of Moscow.
The BCL is one of IRJ’s 20 projects to watch in 2022, which was published in the January edition. Digital subscribers can read the feature here.
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